


Lionheart

by ligeia



Series: Lionheart [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Romance, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-02
Updated: 2014-12-02
Packaged: 2018-02-27 19:55:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2704592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ligeia/pseuds/ligeia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luffy and Law go separate ways, but not before leaving with a shared promise. </p><p>(Spoiler warnings for events in the manga up to chapter 769)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lionheart

The celebration over Doflamingo’s defeat lasted days on end, and on the last night the pirate crews decided to part ways the following morning. Trafalgar Law was leaning against a building by the bay where their ships were docked when a familiar voice called out angrily to him.

“Oi, Traffy!”

Monkey D. Luffy sprinted towards him, holding at least half a dozen roasted chicken legs. Law held his hand out to stop Luffy before he could crash into him. Luffy came to a full stop and grinned, eyes shining. Law poked the center of Luffy’s chest before he could speak.

“Straw Hat, if you keep this up any more you’re going to split my sutures,” Law said, eyeing the bandages around Luffy’s torso.

Since forming their alliance, the Straw Hat captain had proven himself both fearlessly protective of friends and relentlessly aggressive towards enemies. They both had their battle scars from Doflamingo, but Luffy’s were from fighting for Law’s sake. Luffy’s will to fight often came at the cost of his own physical safety, and this was no exception. Despite this, Luffy was standing before him now with a big smile plastered on his face, as if he hadn’t almost died. For some reason, there was something about Luffy that made him think of Cora-san.

“It’s our last night together. Everyone is out there having fun and you’re just standing here. You’re such a weirdo! Come out and party with us!”

Law blinked. He had gotten distracted thinking about Luffy again. It was dangerous to stay close to this man, who seemed to turn everyone around him into allies and friends.

Luffy held out chicken in one of his hands. “You can even have some of my meat.”

Law stared. “You can keep your meat.”

“Take it!” Luffy said, huffing with impatience. Law reluctantly took it, while still staring at Luffy with a mixture of bafflement and wonder. Luffy took the opportunity to grab Law’s free hand and ran off.

Law’s body lurched forward at the sudden movement and he toppled over on the dusty ground. “Ugh,” he muttered into the dirt.

“Aww, come on,” Luffy whined. When Law looked up, the arm that gripped his was stretched out halfway across the street, with Luffy standing on the other end, looking impatient.

“Weirdo,” Luffy said again. “Fun-hater.”

“I don’t want to have fun!” Law yelled, before catching himself. He flushed a little. Luffy and his odd crew had always been able to get under his skin easier than most.

“Trust me,” Luffy said, lower this time, as if speaking in confidence. “Come on!”

Luffy held out a hand in invitation. When Law took it, Luffy took off towards the bay. The familiar silhouette of a large cyborg came into view as they approached the Sunny.

“Franky?” Luffy called out.

“Hey! Luffy…and…” Franky looked over from Luffy to Law. “…You guys are back early.”

“What are you doing here, Franky?” Luffy asked between bites, finishing off the rest of his drumsticks. “I thought you were in town, too."

“Tonight's my turn to watch Sunny," Franky said with a grin. "What, are you here to relieve me?"

"Yea. Traffy and I are here now. So you should go and have fun too,” Luffy said, jerked a thumb behind him.

“Captain's orders!” Franky cheered, jumping down to the pier. “I’m surprised you’re done partying so soon, but—“

He broke off, eyes flickering to Law, who stood watching Franky impassively.

“I’ll just tell everyone to take their time coming back,” Franky said with a thumbs-up.

It wasn’t until then that Law remembered he and Luffy were still holding hands.

—

“Have you done this before?” Law asked, sliding out of his overcoat and draping it and the Kikoku over the bench by the foremast.

Luffy sat cross-legged on the deck. He was practically bouncing on the grass, eyes gleaming. Moonlight framed Luffy’s hair, giving off a blue halo. “Nope.”

Law raised his eyebrows. “So you and your swordsman…” he asked casually.

“Nah.”

“And not with the pirate empress during the two years you spent on the Isle of Women?”

Luffy laughed. “I was training for those two years.”

“How honorable,” Law said, dropping to the grass across Luffy. He looked down at his hands, feeling oddly nervous as he avoided Luffy’s curious gaze. “Why me?”

“Dunno,” Luffy said with a shrug. “But if we both want to do it, we should go ahead.”

Law didn’t say anything to that, and started unraveling the bandage on Luffy’s chest. Luffy looked at him questioningly.

“I’m checking for bleeding first,” Law explained. “I can’t just start molesting you; I’m also your doctor sometimes.”

“You’re funny. You got hurt worse than me,” Luffy laughed before tackling Law to the floor.

He fell backwards, banging his head on Sunny’s deck. “Ow,” he muttered, long strips of white bandage falling over him like streamers.

Lanky arms wound around Law’s shoulders, holding him down. Luffy kissed him, tasting like salt and spiced curry. Law sighed and stroked Luffy’s hair as he started licking a path down Law’s throat.

“You’re not very nice,” Law murmured into the top of Luffy’s head. “We’re parting ways tomorrow morning, you know.”

Luffy’s mouth grinned and sucked Law’s throat, nipping at his flesh between licks.

“You’re not easy to forget as it is,” Law said, voice trailing off into a gasp as Luffy moved his attention over to one of his nipples.

“Well, you wanna be pirate king right?” Luffy asked, frowning as he braced himself up on his arms over Law’s chest. “We're after the same thing, so we’ll meet again.”

Law considered. To be frank, he hadn’t thought about the One Piece and whatever it means to become the pirate king in a long time. He brought a hand up to Luffy’s hair. He smoothed it back and looked at the healing scars from the battle with Doflamingo on Luffy’s head.

“Maybe I’ve decided,” Law grunted, sitting up abruptly and flipping over to pin Luffy on his back, “to make you king.”

“Wha-“ Luffy began, before breaking off into giggles as Law started peppering Luffy’s chest with soft kisses. “Traffy, that tickles!”

A hand rested on the side of Law’s chin, and Luffy’s strong grip pushed his face up until they were looking each other in the eye.

“If you’re gonna say that, then join my crew,” Luffy said, wrapping arms around Law’s shoulders and thighs around his hips. “Everyone likes you, and Chopper likes having another doctor to work with.”

“I have my own crew. And don’t talk about your reindeer while you’re—” Law broke off in an undignified yelp as Luffy grabbed him by the back of his head, smashing their mouths together.   

He’s shocked into surprise for a moment before tilting his head into Luffy’s, pushing his tongue insistently into Luffy’s strong mouth. His dick strained against his zipper and he rolled his hips into Luffy’s. Luffy gasped and with a surprised moan spread his thighs, digging Law’s groin into the juncture between them. A jolt of satisfaction judders through Law at the sight. He grabbed Luffy’s arms, restraining them above his head. 

“You must be lying,” Law teased. “This can’t possibly be your first time.”

Luffy was panting slightly, eyes were dark with lust. Still, there was a familiar look of confidence in them that bordered on a challenge.

“It is. Who cares, hurry up,” Luffy demanded, arching into Law and licking his lips. “Kiss me again.” 

“Shit. Whatever you say.”

Law let go of Luffy’s arms and tilted their heads together with a hand around Luffy’s chin. He kissed Luffy again, gently this time, and ran a hand up his thigh. Luffy was breathing deeply, their chests rising and falling against each other. He couldn’t help but smile.

Luffy was the inexperienced one, yet it was Law who felt out of his depth. He almost wanted to laugh. The sense of danger he felt earlier creeped back into the edges of his consciousness. Straw Hat Luffy was both an easygoing man and a force of nature, and he made falling for him almost too easy.

“Come on,” Luffy was whining, tugging impatiently on his jeans.

“Let me,” Law managed with a shaky breath, moving his fingers to activate his ability. They still ached from the battle. “ _Shambles_.”

“Whoa,” Luffy exclaimed as Law removed the rest of their clothing with his ability.

“Yes, it’s convenient,” Law said distractedly, glancing over to his right hand as he stretched his fingers out.

Luffy took his hand then and kissed his palm without breaking eye contact. Law groaned as his nerves reacted with a jolt that shot clean down his hand. He shuddered, fingers tingling.

“You’re sensitive there,” Luffy giggled. “I found a weak spot.”

“Shut up,” Law said before proceeding to shut Luffy up by kissing him again.

—

Afterwards, they laid there on the deck quietly, feeling the gentle rocking of the ship in the waves of the harbor.

“Hey. Traffy,” Luffy said, a touch of a whine in his voice. “I want to suck you, too.”

“Yea,” Law groaned. “You’d be good at it.”

“Hmm. Maybe I should make you wait for it.”

“What, as punishment or bribery?”

“As a promise,” Luffy said, arms winding around Law’s torso. “‘Cause we’re definitely going to meet again anyway.”

“I guess I don’t have a choice,” Law said.

He was lazily tracing circles on Luffy’s bare back when a twinge of pain shot down his still injured hand. Thanks to Doflamingo, the strength in his damaged arm may never be the same as it once was. Even throwing a few sutures to close Luffy’s wounds earlier had proven difficult. He wondered idly if he would be able to perform routine operations without his ability again, and closed his hand into a fist.

Luffy turned his face to look at Law suddenly, as if noticing a change in his mood.

“We’ll both get stronger,” Law swore. “The pirates of the old age are falling. The next time we meet, we will be the peak.”

“Hey,” Luffy said, jerking up at that. A hand reflexively came to the scar on his chest. There was silence for a moment, broken only by the sound of distant revelry on the island.

“That’s just what Ace said,” Luffy finished absently.

“If you’re worried, then don’t let them kill me,” Law replied, lifting Luffy’s hand off his chest and kissing it. He then kissed the scarred skin over Luffy’s heart, feeling Luffy’s heartbeat below his lips. Suddenly he pushed Luffy off him and sat up.

Dew was beginning to collect on the grass on Sunny’s deck, making his back damp. He shivered a little at the cold and took a deep breath. Luffy was regarding him with a tilted head, looking slightly puzzled. It was a terrible idea, but before he could reconsider and stop himself, he activated his ability and pulled out his own heart. Law closed his eyes, wincing at its sudden excision and took several deep breaths. When he opened them, he smiled, stifling a sudden rush of nerves at his impetuous decision. The heart in his hand was pulsing at a regular, if rapid, rate. He held it out to Luffy, who took it with more gentleness than Law usually came to expect from him. He regarded Law’s heart with bright, widened eyes.

“Keep this safe. The next time we meet, you can return it.”

“Okay,” Luffy said, still staring at the heart. He looked at Law suddenly, his expression serious. “But if you want me to have it, then take mine too.”

“No.”

“It’s only fair,” Luffy said, with a look in his eyes that Law knew from experience would broker no argument.

Law folds his arms in response, more for show than actually attempting to argue with a determined Straw Hat Luffy.

“…No.”

“Your heart’s beating fast,” Luffy said with a challenging grin on his face. “You must be scared.”

Stifling an urge to roll his eyes, Law leaned back on the lawn instead and sighed, looking at the stars above them. “You really aren’t very nice.”

Luffy's expression softened and he smiled brightly. He leaned over Law and placed a hand over the hole on Law’s chest where his heart used to be. “I trust you.”

This should be the easy part, Law thought. There was no reason to hesitate in performing a maneuver he’d already done hundreds of times. But he also couldn’t deny that odd feeling when Luffy looked at him, the way Luffy was looking at him now. It made him feel like a child again, uncertain, learning how to control his ability and being unprepared for what he got.

Luffy looked at him expectantly.

“Fine…brace yourself,” Law said at length. “ _Scalpel_.”

“Whoa,” Luffy gasped, keeling backwards before catching himself with a hand.

“Most people lose consciousness,” Law said and wiped a bead of sweat from Luffy’s forehead. He looked at the cube in his hand that encased Luffy’s heart.

“Thanks,” Luffy said, looking genuinely grateful.

“I have your heart now,” Law said, laughing. He couldn’t help himself, it was hard to not laugh with Luffy. “You don’t need to thank me for that.”

“Too bad. I got your heart, and now you have mine. We’re even,” Luffy said.

“I don’t want to just be even with you,” Law said truthfully. Luffy’s heartbeat was steady and strong in his hand. Law’s own heart must have been racing.

“I just got a really good idea,” Luffy said. He inched forward until he was sitting on Law’s lap and kissed Law with a smile still on his lips. “You can put it in, right?”

“…”

Luffy waved the heart in front of his eyes.

“Oh,” Law said stupidly. He poked Luffy on the forehead. “Watch how you handle that, it’s not just a piece of meat.”

“But you can do it, right? I mean, not this—” Luffy made a wide gesture around his face and raised Law’s heart with his other hand. “Just this.”

“You can keep your personality. But yes, I can do that.”

“You said you want me to be careful with it,” Luffy reasoned.

“In that case, the last thing I should do is put my heart in your body,” Law said, eyeing the large scar Akainu left on Luffy’s chest. A portion of the scar fell over the hole on his chest.

Luffy frowned and looked down at his chest. “Maybe I can do it instead,” he said.

“Wait, no—“

In an instant, a heavy, crushing substernal pressure blinded out all other sensation. Law clutched his chest, grimacing in pain. Luffy was shoving Law’s heart into the cube-shaped hole in his own chest.

“Stop!”

“What?”

“Well, first, you’re holding it upside-down. And second…are you trying to kill me?” Law yelled, and moved his hands in a circle. “ _Shambles_.”

“Oh,” Luffy gasped and clutched Law.

They sat there for a while, breathing deeply. Law didn’t know how much time passed before Luffy pushed away, staring at Law’s chest. He just stared back at Luffy, whose chest was now decorated with a segment of Law’s tattoo that cut off sharply at the edges where their skin now met.

Luffy followed Law’s gaze down to his own body, bringing a hand up to the curve of black ink over his heart. Luffy slowly traced the edges of the tattoo. A shiver ran through Law at the touch and he closed his eyes.

“You can feel that?” Luffy asked, eyeing Law sharply now. Luffy brought up a hand to touch Law’s chest, over the edge of his scar. He giggled. “It tickles.”

They sat silently again, Law watching Luffy, Luffy’s hands moving over Law’s chest, examining him with such a look of fascination that Law had to smile.

“Let’s move indoors,” Law murmured, grabbing Luffy’s wrist.

—

Luffy watched him as he drew a hot bath in the tub.

“I don’t like baths,” Luffy said with a grimace.

“I know, but now we’re a mess and your crewmates might not appreciate how you look when they come back.”

“You mean this?” Luffy asked, gesturing to his chest. “They’re just gonna have to get used to it if they don’t like it.”

“No, I mean, you look _fucked_ ,” Law smirked.

“Oh,” Luffy said, smoothing a hand down his chest and over his belly. “Yea, your spit and stuff is all over me now.”

“Yes, it is. Come on,” Law coaxed, stepping into the tub. Almost instantly, the hot, soapy water started draining him of all his energy.

Luffy lurched forward and clutched his chest with a pained look on his face. “I can feel that. My heart is underwater.”

“I know. We’re both going to have to get used to it,” Law sighed, reclining all the way into the tub now.

“Don’t take too many baths, Traffy,” Luffy ordered as he stepped gingerly into the water.

“Fine, fine.”

Luffy nearly collapsed once inside the water, struggling to move over to Law until his head was resting over Law’s chest. Law wrapped his arms around Luffy, who slumped almost instantly against him.

“It’s not fair,” Luffy said. “How come you still look good and strong, but you’re in water.”

“Well, thanks,” Law said weakly. “You just have a bad poker face.”

“Whatever,” Luffy complained. “You owe me now.”

“Mmhmm.”

“I hate taking baths. I already took one this week. You definitely owe me.”

“I’ll make it up to you the next time we meet.”

“You better mean that. And we’re not even anymore, so be happy.”

Law laughed, laughed with tears coming to his eyes, yanked Luffy up with the last of his strength, and kissed him again.

—

None of the other Straw Hats came back to the ship that evening. Whether it was the shipwright’s doing or just from extended revelry from their victory was uncertain, but Law didn’t care. Luffy was a direct man, and his crew would likely guess what happened soon enough. As it was, Luffy was still jumping and running all over the ship—shirt on, thankfully, but completely open. Lurid purplish bruises from Law’s mouth dotted Luffy’s throat and chest.

Luffy seemed to notice Law’s attention on him and he eyed Law suddenly. “Oi, Traffy, are you staying with us after all? Your crew’s gonna leave without you.”

Law leaned back on his seat and grinned at Luffy, still eyeing the hickeys he left over Luffy. “I just wonder how much time I have until Kaido finds you and you get us both killed.”

“Just watch yourself,” Luffy said with a grin. “I ain’t gonna die so easily.”

“We’ll see each other again,” Law said.

“It’s a promise,” Luffy agreed.

He jumped off the ship and onto the deck of his sub, which had now come right beside the Sunny. Some of the Straw Hats ran over to the starboard side and waved, cheering farewells at him loudly.

“Watch your captain for me,” Law said to them, not fully suppressing a smile.

Luffy came over to join his crewmates and watched Law as they prepared to depart, face calm, eyes watching him steadily.

“Captain, we’re ready to descend at your command,” Bepo said from the sub.

“Let’s dive,” Law said, closing the door on the main deck behind him.

He opened his coat and looked down at his chest. The only sign of Luffy’s heart in his body was a square of skin on his chest, a shade paler than his own, with one edge dipping sharply into a groove of a scar. He covered the expanse of Luffy’s skin with his right hand and dragged a finger along the scar. He felt, a moment later, Luffy’s hand overlaying his own heart.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm very grateful to [t0rao](http://t0rao.tumblr.com/) for helping me with a beta of this work. 
> 
> (And sorry for the cut away during the sex scene. I did have something there at first, but I couldn't get it to work.)


End file.
